Doom

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the AMD Radeon RX 9070 delivers a dominant performance profile in Doom, a title that clearly favors high frame rates. The benchmark data shows this combination scales exceptionally well across resolutions, with the most significant bottleneck appearing only at the maximum 4K Ultra preset. The combo ranks in the 66th percentile of all tested configurations, a strong showing that reflects the CPU's top-tier standing and the GPU's substantial rasterization power.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, but the pattern reveals a balanced system that leans on the GPU only at the highest pixel counts. At High settings, performance falls from 219.1 FPS at 1920x1080 to 139.5 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then to 73.5 FPS at 3840x2160, a further 47% drop from 1440p. This progression is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, where the RX 9070’s 16 GB frame buffer and 644.6 GB/s memory bandwidth are fully utilized.

The scaling at Low settings is even more revealing. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 296.3 FPS, which drops to 190.6 FPS at 1440p and 104 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p reduction of 35% is nearly identical to the High preset’s drop, indicating that the CPU is keeping pace and the GPU is the primary limiter even at lower graphical loads. However, the 4K Low result of 104 FPS versus the 4K High result of 73.5 FPS shows that at 4K, the GPU’s shader and texture throughput is the deciding factor, not the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads.

The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the Intel Core i7-14700KF is more than sufficient to feed the RX 9070, with the GPU becoming the sole bottleneck only at 4K Ultra. The 63.4 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only sub-60 result in the entire measured set, suggesting that this resolution and preset combination is the true stress test for this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, the High preset at 1440p is the standout choice. The data shows 139.5 FPS at this setting, which is 20% faster than the Ultra preset’s 115.8 FPS at the same resolution. The visual jump from High to Ultra is not worth the performance cost, as the measured 115.8 FPS at 1440p Ultra is still smooth but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1080p, High settings are the optimal recommendation, delivering 219.1 FPS. This is well above the 175.6 FPS achieved at Ultra, and the difference is more pronounced than at higher resolutions, indicating that the CPU is not a limiting factor here. For competitive play, Low settings at 1080p yield 296.3 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant, and the High preset’s 219.1 FPS is already far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors.

At 4K, the choice is between Medium and High. Medium delivers 90.7 FPS, which is a playable and smooth experience, while High drops to 73.5 FPS. The Ultra preset’s 63.4 FPS is borderline, and the data suggests that Medium at 4K is the sensible ceiling for this combo, offering a 43% improvement over Ultra without a dramatic visual downgrade.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 565th out of 1681 tested configurations, placing it in the top 34% of all systems. This is a strong result, but the ranking is more impressive when considering the CPU’s individual standing. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (-0.4% delta), showing that this processor is statistically tied with the very best consumer chips.

The GPU, however, is less exceptional. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 sits in the 79th percentile against all GPUs, with an average score of 34780. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA A2 at 34866 (-0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 at 34677 (0.3% delta). The GPU’s 79th percentile is respectable, but it is the CPU that boosts this combo’s ranking. The data suggests that in Doom, which is not heavily threaded, the i7-14700KF’s high single-core performance (6290 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures the GPU is never starved, allowing the RX 9070 to perform near its peak.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. Low settings yield 296.3 FPS, Medium delivers 259.7 FPS, High achieves 219.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 175.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 68%, indicating that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, while the CPU maintains a consistent overhead.

At 2560x1440, the numbers are 190.6 FPS for Low, 168.8 FPS for Medium, 139.5 FPS for High, and 115.8 FPS for Ultra. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 35% across all settings, which is a uniform scaling that points to a well-balanced system with no sudden CPU bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the results are 104 FPS for Low, 90.7 FPS for Medium, 73.5 FPS for High, and 63.4 FPS for Ultra. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper, averaging around 47%, which is expected as the GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The 4K Ultra result of 63.4 FPS is the only point where the system falls below the 100 FPS mark, highlighting the extreme demands of that preset.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck for the RX 9070 in Doom?

A: No. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU’s performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling across settings. Only at 4K Ultra does the GPU become the clear limiting component, with the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads providing ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo achieves 139.5 FPS, which is close to 144 FPS but does not reach it. To exceed 144 FPS, the user must drop to Medium settings at 1440p, which yields 168.8 FPS, or use High settings at 1080p, which delivers 219.1 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 9070's VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 4K High settings, as the combo still manages 73.5 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 63.4 FPS suggests that VRAM capacity is not the limiting factor, but rather the GPU’s compute throughput.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using at any resolution?

A: The data indicates no. At 1080p, Ultra drops to 175.6 FPS from High’s 219.1 FPS, a 20% loss. At 1440p, Ultra delivers 115.8 FPS versus High’s 139.5 FPS, another 17% loss. The visual improvement is not quantified in the data, but the performance cost is consistent and significant.

Q: How does this combo compare to the CPU's nearest rivals in terms of overall score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores 70074, which is a 0% delta, meaning they are statistically identical. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, a -0.4% delta, which is also effectively a tie.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 259.7 FPS. At 4K Medium, it drops to 90.7 FPS. This represents a 65% reduction in frame rate, which is the largest percentage drop across all settings, confirming that the GPU is heavily taxed by the pixel count increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide substantial bandwidth for game logic. In Doom, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU’s single-core performance is critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290 and Geekbench single-core score of 2972 indicate that the i7-14700KF is among the fastest processors for this workload.

The benchmark results show that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 296.3 FPS is likely near the engine’s maximum, and the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking against all CPUs supports this. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, has a nearly identical average score, but the i7-14700KF’s unlocked multiplier and 5.60 GHz boost clock give it a slight edge in burst workloads. The data confirms that this processor is overkill for Doom, but it ensures that the GPU is always supplied with frames, even at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process from TSMC, featuring 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs. Its boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, provide a strong foundation for 4K gaming. The 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is directly relevant to Doom’s rendering load, as the game relies on heavy shader work.

The GPU’s 79th percentile ranking against all GPUs is respectable, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA A2 and Quadro GV100, which are not gaming-focused cards. This suggests that the RX 9070 is a solid mid-to-high-tier performer, but not a flagship. The measured frame rates confirm this: at 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 63.4 FPS, which is the only sub-60 result. The GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is never fully saturated, as the 4K High result of 73.5 FPS shows that memory bandwidth, not capacity, is the limiting factor. The 644.6 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 4K, but the 256-bit bus is narrower than some competitors, which explains the steep drop from 1440p to 4K.